Well cap



L A. FORSBERG Sept. 23 192 4.

WELL CAP 6 ya 7; 7 1% 1v 7 7 w Q I atented Set. 23, 1924.. A

STATES i n. atom roaenniw or pennant, MINNESOTA.

wear. I car.

Application filed April 20, 1923, Serial No. 633,426.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, L. AnBrN FoRsnnno; a citizen of the-lUnited States, residing at Braham, county of llsanti, and State of Minnesota, have .invented a new and useful improvement in Well Caps, of which the followingis a specification. My invention relates to improvements in well caps. in In the absence of inexpensive and durable means, readily applicable, in close quarters, for capping the upper ends of well casings, it has been common practice to permit the space between a casing and pump drop-pipe therein remain'unobstructed or to close the same with a make-shift serving no other purpose than to-keep coarse foreign matter from entering the casing. Y

An object of this invention is to provide a simple, durable and inexpensive device to cap the upper end-of a well casing and effectually bar the entrance thereto of dust, dirt, drainage andother' foreign matter.

Another obiectis to supply a device of this kind serving as a drop-pipe anchor and designed to be readily applied in close confines, to the end of a casing dcvoidof threads .or other especially formed attaching means.

With the foregoing and other objects inso view which will appearin the following description, the invention resides in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction here inafter described and claimed.

tral, sectional view of a device embodying my lnvention, the same being shown in connection with a drop-pipe and'applied-to a well casing therefor, and Fig. 2 is a. plan View of said device.

Referring to the drawings, it will be ob served that my improvement includes a cap All ' A and follower B, said members being as-- sembled, as shown, ,on the upper end of awell casing 10 containing a drop-pipe 11. The cap A comprises a head 12, designed to rest upon the end of the casing 10, and a flange or skirt 13 and coupling member 1A both integral with said head. The'flange ring 17.

in the drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical, cen- 13, depending from the head 12, -elosely" pipe sections 11, the lower end of said coupling reaching downward as far as the lower edge of said flange to facilitate the application of the cap; to the lower droppipe section.

The follower B comprises a ring-like body 15 designed to'encircle the casing 10, an internal annular recess 16 being formed therein to redeive the lower portion of the flange 13 and to hold a compressible sealing The bottom 16 of this recess 16 and the lower edge 13 of the flange 13 are beveled oppositely, as shown, to form 0pposed ring engaging surfaces, which operate to crowd the ring 17 against the periphery of the casing 10, when the cap A and follower B are forced together. Tie bolts 18 reaching downward through apertured lugs 19 on the flange 13, pass through similar lugs 20 onthe body 15 of the follower B. Clamping nuts 21 on the lower threaded ends of these bolts 18 bear beneath the lugs 20 and operate to telescope the follower B upon the cap A, whereby the ring 17 is gripped between the bearing surfaces 13 and 16 and forced against the wall of the casing 10. With the follower and cap A time clamped together, the casing is sealed against the entry thereto of dust, dirt orother foreign matter such as surface water, which is often encountered in well pits. This effective closing of the casing is accompanied by another advantage, which resides in the rigid anchoring of the drop-pipe 11 with respect to the easing. This anchoring feature prevents any play of the pumping mechanism within the casing that might otherwise result from the forces exerted in operating said mechanism. 7

high level of surface water orother drainage.

This vent pipe 22 is threaded inthe cap A and communicates with the interior there of through aport 24 in-the head 12, said port terminating at a point registering with the open end of the casing 10 in any of the angular positions of the cap A thereon.'

lln applying the present device, it is not required that the casing 10 be threaded or otherwise especially formed to accomplish the attachment. A device of appropriate size is selected to suit the casing at hand.

The follower B with the ring 17 inserted therein is assembled with the cap A over the plain, unprepared end of the casing, the drop-pipe 11 having been' previously threaded inthecoupling member 14. With the head 12 resting upon-the endof the casingand carrying the Weight of the pipe 11 and connected parts, it only remains to tighten the clamping nuts 21 on the bolts 18-to seal and bind the cap A upon the casing 10. a a

' Various modifications, within the scope of my invention, include the enlargement of the head 12 in the form of a flange for direct attachment to pumping mechanism.

Other modifications include the variedtapping of the coupling 14, also the omission of said coupling, in which case, the reception of the drop-pipe ll by the head 12 is accomplished in any suitable manner. These and other changesin the specific form of my invention, as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing fromthe spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: v

1. In a device of the class described, a

1 cap comprising a head, a depending annular flange and adepending axial pipe coupling both integral with said head, said coupling reaching downward as far as the lower edge of said flange, afollower, a compressible. sealing ring interposed between said flange and follower and means for clamping the, cap and follower together to grip the ring between the same and against a casing to which the cap is applied. 3 2. In a device of the class described, a cap and a follower adapted to telescope over the end of a casing, said cap being formed to receive a drop pipe in said casing, a compressible sealing ring interposed between the cap and follower and threaded elements co-operating to clamp the cap and follower together and thereby grip the ring between the same and against the periphery of the casing, said cap having a vent port therein arranged to communicate with the interior of the casing in any angular position of the cap thereon.

3.'In a device of the class described, two members for encircling a casing, one member being adapted to cap the end of the casing and receive a drop-pipe therein, a vent pipe communicating with the interior of the casing through said member and opening at an elevation thereabove, a sealing ring. interposed between said members and means joining the two members to clamp the same together and compress the ringbctween them and against the periphery of the casing.

In testimony whereof, I'have signed name to this specification.

L. ALBIN FORSBERG. 

